V. Somanna, Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti, flagged off Train No. 20662 Dharwad–KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express with provision of additional stoppage at Haveri on Saturday.
The event was attended by Basavaraj S. Bommai, Member of Parliament from Haveri-Gadag and Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, and Basavaraj Neelappa Shivannavar, MLA from Byadagi.
In his address, Basavaraj S. Bommai thanked V. Somanna for providing additional stoppage of Vande BHarat Express train at Haveri and appreciated the various development works taken up under his leadership. He also requested Hon’ble MoSR for two escalators at Haveri Railway Station and additional train stoppages. Further, he urged early completion of the Gadag–Yalvigi new line survey and expansion of the goods sheds at Ranebennur and Byadagi, which are key hubs for agricultural produce.
Responding to the requests, V. Somanna assured that two escalators will be provided at Haveri station soon. He also announced that all level crossings in the Haveri-Gadag region will be eliminated at the earliest.
Highlighting rail developments in Karnataka, Somanna stated that 104 Vande Bharat trains are running across India, with 10 operating in Karnataka. He announced plans to introduce two more Vande Bharat trains in the state, including a Vande Bharat sleeper service from Belagavi to Bengaluru via Haveri. He also mentioned that the new Amrit Bharat Express trains with modern facilities will soon be extended to this region also.
Somanna appreciated the Central Government for merging the railway and central budgets, which has helped speed up railway development works. He said that in the first phase, 1,900 route kilometers have been taken up for installation of KAVACH safety system in Karnataka. He also informed that the DPR for the Hubballi–Ankola railway line has been submitted and the project will begin soon.
He also highlighted the progress of key railway infrastructure projects in Karnataka. The doubling of the Hubballi–Mayakonda section is being carried out at a cost of ₹1,674 crore. Electrification works have been completed on the Devaragudda–Karajgi section and the Tolahunse–Devaragudda section at costs of ₹55 crore and ₹56 crore respectively. Additionally, the new railway line between Kottur and Harihar via Harapanahalli, covering a distance of 65 km, has been completed at a cost of ₹4,676 crore.
The event was also attended by Mudit Mittal, Divisional Railway Manager, Mysuru; Anup Dayanand Sadhu, CCM/PS; Vijay Mahanthesh D, District Collector, Haveri; and other senior officials from the Railways and State Government.
